A Familiar Face
There was no denying it: the barrier was slowly but surely melting. The icy wall, which normally looked like glistening diamonds, was marred by rivulets of water running steadily to the ground.
The streams of water met in shallow rivers at the rocky shore. Uninhibited, the rivers flowed into the Great Lake, beginning the journey to the outside world.
The horses splashed through the water as they trotted along the stony sand. Droplets flicked onto Mairwen's face and soaked into her hem. The water was pleasantly cool and tingled against the Princess's skin.
"I think there may be a little bit of magic left in the water," Mairwen said to Hanna, who was riding beside her.
Under Alaron's direction, a cup of frosty water was collected and passed across the riders into Hanna's hand. She drank deeply.
For a moment, her pale blue skin seemed to regain some of its ethereal shimmer before returning to its duller tint.
"That was refreshing. I should like more of that." Hanna shot a look toward Alaron.
The Guardian readily complied. Three glasses of water later, Hanna finally had had all she could drink.
"I feel much better," she said, dabbing daintily at her mouth.
'Remember that when you have to stop to relieve yourself in a little while,' Alaron smirked as he kept his musings to himself.
Fortunately, Hanna had no way to read his thoughts just now, if she ever could.
"None of that, Guardian," Hanna gave him a stern look.
"I didn't say anything!" Alaron defended himself.
"You forget your hood isn't hiding your face anymore," Renat chucked. "Even I had a good guess that you were making mischief in your head."
"Everyone needs to mind their own business," Alaron harumphed. He wondered why either of them had been looking at his face at all.
When he looked at the scientist, he realized Renat was studying the wall intently.
Professional curiosity made him wonder what caused the Ice Barrier to function. While Renat had no intention of repeating the mistakes of Dania by mixing magic and science, the young man did see the value in understanding the magic on a deeper level.
Perhaps that knowledge might help him and others prevent mixing the two unknowingly in the future.
They had been moving parallel to the barrier for quite some time, making it very hard to gauge their progress. To their left, water stretched out before them skirted by tiny trees on the far end. To their right, the wall of melting ice continued to dwindle. The only real tell was looking behind them to find where the wall curved out of view, but even that was getting more difficult to see with time.
Midafternoon they stopped to stretch their legs, drink, and regroup. Even without magic, the water of the lake was far too mineral-rich for the humans to easily drink. So they followed Hanna's lead and filled the cups and waterskins from the runoff of the barrier.
It was as refreshing as the Fate had said. There was certainly more than just water to the liquid, for after all drank deeply, their bodies felt more than just their regular rejuvenation.
"How much power went into building this?" Renat asked, his mind still piecing together facts.
"More than even the Fates could provide. Only with additional help from the Maker did the Land of Magic finally have its borders." Hanna took a deep breath. "I had hoped, because of his hand, the barrier would remain untouched. But it seems it has begun to melt even before the snowfall."
"Maybe it won't fade entirely," Mairwen offered. "Maybe just the part that the Fates did is in jeopardy."
"Maybe..." Hanna did not seem to agree. "It does not change our mission; just adds another layer of urgency. Not only will we need to worry about creatures of the wild lands seeking out the source under the spires. We also have to worry about them getting out into the human realm."
Renat had seen the few allies that the gnomes had used during their war on humanity. If that was tame compared to the wildlands, he didn't really want to let them loose on defenseless humans. His mind already began to think of inventions that would aid him in protecting those he loved.
Renat's brawn might be lacking when compared to the soldiers with him, but he would use his mind to more than make up for that fact.
"State your business!" A voice called out. Everyone looked around, trying to find the source of the words.
But it was not readily apparent who had spoken them. They pulled the horses to a stop as many of the soldiers drew their swords.
Mairwen lifted her hand to stop them from dismounting. "If they had wanted to ambush us, it is unlikely that they would announce their intention beforehand," she said to Alaron.
"It has to be an elf." The Guardian responded. Loudly, he announced, "We come peacefully seeking the Land of Magic and the Elven King. I believe he is expecting us."
Silence. Then, out of a crevice in the ice, a familiar face appeared to welcome them. "Quite a large war party if peace is what you seek." His voice was kind in spite of the accusation.
"Nath!" Mairwen dismounted and walked quickly toward the elf. Alaron and Renat were only a step behind.
Nath bowed before the group. "Princess, Prince, and Guardian. This is an unexpected surprise."
"Talk about unexpected! We didn't think anyone was still able to use magic! Yet you appeared just like the elves always do." Alaron slapped Nath on the back.
"Oh, that wasn't magic, merely a good hiding spot mixed with the proper angles." Nath pointed to a previously unseen nook in the ice. "Even with magic, elves can be very frugal when it comes to making themselves invisible."
The elven guard looked over their shoulder and surveyed the group. "I see you have a Fate with you. Is she the reason you have brought a small army?"
"Yes and no," Alaron answered. "She told us that the Land of Magic is in trouble, so we have come to help."
"I do not think physical strength will fix the problems we are having." Nath's face darkened.
"Maybe not entirely," Mairwen smiled. "But it is a start. We would like to speak to King Ithel before we continue on our quest. Can we use the elven gate?"
Nath looked at the group once more and gave a sad smile. "Honestly, there is not much to stop you. I shall lead you if you like, though I believe you know the way."
"The company is most welcome," the princess responded easily. "Maybe you can give us a small update before we meet with His Majesty."
Walking with their horses, the three fell in line beside the elf. The rest of the party remained on horseback, moving at a leisurely pace along the rocky shore.
"Is your sister with you?" Renat remembered how the two elves were like two sides of a coin.
"Lilith is at the palace. The Queen Mother has found her presence pleasant as of late, and so my sister has the luck of guarding her at present." Nat sounded both proud of his sister's accomplishments and sad because she was not with him.
"I did not know Queen Lanassa had a personal guard." Mairwen had never seen the same person with the Queen at any one time.
"She didn't, but Empress Aurora has one. With the lack of magic around, Her Majesty decided it would be prudent for all of the royal family to have at least one soldier with them at all times." Nath did not mention that he could have stayed at the palace as well, but found being indoors all the time rather stifling.
"I see. I am glad the royal family is taking the appropriate precautions." Alaron really was relieved that the elves were taking the problem seriously.
It would have been easy for the once strong creatures to be too full of pride to seek help. Their understanding of the severity of the problem boded well for the talk that was incoming.
Turning one of the sharper corners of the wall, the humans all spied a weird out jut in the ice that did not belong. Unlike the barrier, it was not melting, so it was no longer invisible like it had been for thousands of years.
"The gate is open?" Renat asked, surprised.
"When the magic left, we had to force it open with brute strength. At that point, it was easier to just leave it open and add extra guards." Nath pointed to places on the barrier and the people on the ground.
There were indeed many more soldiers than the scientist remembered when he visited before.
Thankfully this time they weren't being chased by monsters.
'This time we will be the ones chasing them,' he thought wryly.
Soon enough they were before the gate. After speaking with the other elves, Nath waved the contingent forward.
"I will be accompanying you to the palace if that is acceptable," the elf said with a bow. "And may I be the first to say: Welcome back to the Land of Magic!"